LDS Antenna DESIGN GUIDELINE 30-03-2010 External

DOCUMENT OVERVIEW Design Guideline contents Description of the technology Process description Material selection Design rules Recommended gate locations & types Metallisation Design Guideline / LDS Antenna 22/04/2017 30/03/2010

DESCRIPTION OF THE TECHNOLOGY LDS (Laser Direct Structuring) is a technology used to add an antenna radiator or circuit pattern directly onto a plastic carrier. The technology can be used on free form surfaces, i.e. 3D A special LDS type plastic is needed. Selected surface areas are activated by laser. The activated areas will then be selectively plated in an Electroless plating process. Design Guideline / LDS Antenna 22/04/2017 30/03/2010

PROCESS DESCRIPTION Injection Moulding Laser Processing Metallization IC Packaging Design Guideline / LDS Antenna 30/03/2010 22/04/2017

MATERIAL SELECTION PC/ABS DSM Xantar LDS 3710 (black) PC/ABS LNP Thermocomp NX07354P (black) PC/ABS DSM Xantar LDS 3720 (black) for improved impact strength PC/ABS DSM Xantar C RC 3711 (Grey colour) for improved plateability List of available LDS materials Design Guideline / LDS Antenna 22/04/2017 30/03/2010

DESIGN RULES Plastic part: Sharp-edged transitions should be avoided in the area of structures that have to be metallized. Recommended edge radius: min 0,15 mm. While designing interlayer connections, the following design rules for one-side or two-side conic layout of the interlayer connections must be considered. Other dimensions can be used but needs to be investigated in each case. Please contact LOM ESI. Design Guideline / LDS Antenna 22/04/2017 30/03/2010

DESIGN RULES Plastic part: Parting lines should be avoided on plated areas. In case of plating over the parting line, extra care must be taken to design the tool to get good parting lines. No burrs or parting error. Ejector pins should be avoided on plated area. The plastic part should have well defined reference surfaces for all axes, X Y and Z. The part surface roughness should be less then Rz 5 µm. Design Guideline / LDS Antenna 22/04/2017 30/03/2010 7

DESIGN RULES Recommended conductor path width: >0,15 mm Recommended conductor path distance: >0,20 mm Conductor lines should be designed so, that they are not too close against walls. In this way a possible sedimentation of ablation products i.e. foreign deposition at the wall is reduced. The steeper the angle of the inclination, the longer the distance should be kept. 0,15 mm with 45° wall inclination 0,25 mm with 70° wall inclination Design Guideline / LDS Antenna 22/04/2017 30/03/2010 8

RECOMMENDED GATE LOCATIONS & TYPES Hot runner cramping system should be selected instead of rod cramps or belt cramps, if possible, because otherwise often unwanted foreign metallization can emerge by mechanical activation of plastic at the breaking edges or shear traps. Avoid pacing gate at or too close to plated area Avoid weld lines on plating areas. Design Guideline / LDS Antenna 22/04/2017 30/03/2010

DESIGN RULES FOR METALLISATION Avoid surfaces with pockets on more than one side of moulded part to avoid solution entrapment resulting in high chemical drag out If pocket on top side cannot be avoided, design a through hole so that solution can easily run through Metallisation available Electroless Copper Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold and Electrolytic Gold on request Design Guideline / LDS Antenna 22/04/2017 30/03/2010 10